[DWPittelli]

You ask "Why in hell is this judge so adamant about getting this guy off? Lemme guess. A terrorist-hugging Clinton appointee." Maybe, but more likely she doesn't want the whole thing to be overturned based on mental incompetence. Also, there would have to be a full trial anyway if the government wants to go for death, so it doesn't save much time or money to refuse to accept the pleas. Also, a judge has to ensure that the defendant is clear on what he's pleaing to; given this guy's language skills and changing stories, that's pretty hard.

The only upside to accepting his partial plea is that then we don't have to worry about him getting off scot-free -- and that, I hope, is pretty much out of the picture, especially now after his open-court admissions/attempted pleas.

[Catspaw]

Unfortunately, the judge had to reject all of his guilty pleas because Moussaoui would not admit to the facts of the case. Because he refused to do that, she could not accept his guilty plea.

If you remember Kathleen Soliah (or Sara Jane Olson) from the Symbionese Liberation Army, she plead guilty in court, even admitted to the facts of the case, then walked out of the courthouse & told the media she wasn't guilty. The judge hauled her back into court and refused to accept her guilty pleas & re-entered not guilty pleas. Then her lawyers & the prosecutors worked out another guilty plea and the judge accepted that plea. She then tried to withdraw her guilty plea again & I thought the judge's head would explode. He would not let her withdraw her second guilty plea.

But because the judge would not accept the guilty pleas from Moussaoui, he's going to trial.

You can read a transcript of today's hearing.  It's posted on washingtonpost.com.